


Beautiful Child

by fits_in_frames



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-04-12
Updated: 2007-04-12
Packaged: 2018-01-22 00:43:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1569695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fits_in_frames/pseuds/fits_in_frames
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Potter men and their sons, through three generations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beautiful Child

_one_

He goes to the hospital nursery late at night, when no one else is there, and brushes his finger on the baby's knuckles and the baby curls his hand around it. _No,_ he tells himself, _not "the baby"._ It's been less than two days, and he's not quite used to thinking of anything but a bump on his wife's midsection, but now there is someone yawning up at him, and that someone's name is James.

He picks up his son in a bundle of blue blankets and rests him against his chest. He almost can't believe that a year ago he honestly believed that he was going to grow old without ever visiting Diagon Alley for school supplies again, or teaching a son how to ride a broomstick. James yawns against his shoulder and he realizes he loves him more than he's ever loved anyone else in his entire life, and starts to cry.

He sets James back in the tiny bed and recasts the protection charm over him. He returns to his wife's room, falls asleep in the chair next to her bed, and dreams that James grows up and saves the world. Perhaps, he thinks in the morning, he is too proud, but that never hurt anyone.

 

_two_

Lily has fallen asleep with Harry on her shoulder again, and he can't help but laugh to himself. He picks Harry up and he wakes up by the time they reach the kitchen, open-mouthed and sleepy-eyed.

"Hey, big man," he whispers when Harry lifts his head. "Hey, hey, who's daddy's big boy, huh?" As he balances him on his hip, Harry points out the window into the night sky, and at first he thinks that the green in his son's eyes is just the natural color magnified. But then he sticks his head out the window into the September night air and a glowing skull with a snake coming out of its mouth is still clear, between the Dippers.

He wakes up Lily, who bolts upright as if she hadn't been sleeping at all. He hands her Harry, kisses them both on their foreheads quickly, and Apparates away.

 

_three_

He holds Ginny's hand all through the birth and he's sort of glad he can concentrate on coaching her instead of watching the actual process, because it doesn't sound pleasant.

She screams and her knuckles turn white. He brushes wet locks of hair away from her face and whispers incantations in her ear to help with the pain, but he's never really been good at magical medicine, so he resorts to saying how proud he is of her. And then she screams again. Molly is holding her other hand, and Ron is sitting behind his mother, giving him a look that says, _You had to go and marry my sister, didn't you?_ , but he doesn't pay attention to it for more than a split second. Ginny leans forward and screams and pushes with all the breath in her, and then, suddenly, there is a tiny person on her chest, squirming and crying up a storm.

The mass of hair on their son's head is black as night and messy as anything, and he is about to start crying when Ginny kisses him and everyone starts clapping.


End file.
